Current show with largest orchestra?

[morosco]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 11:33pm

Which currently playing musical has the largest number of musicians. Which has the smallest?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 11:35pm

I'll be interested to see an answer to this - I can tell you it was WONDERFUL to see A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC in LA with a full orchestra - all those strings!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 11:39pm

I'm always so happy (band dork that I am) to see a nice, full orchestra. I was so pleased to see one at The Producers, since before that my most recent shows had been Aida and Caroline, or Change.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 11:47pm

I imagine they had a decent sized one for Gypsy. I think the current minimum for full orchestra shows is 19 - but I could be COMPLETELY mistaken about that.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 11:47pm

The Gypsy orchestra was FABULOUS. I loved the trumpet solo in the overture.

[Bret]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 11:51pm

I think Phantom has about 26 players, but it could be a few more or less.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 11:56pm

My guess (just a guess): 42nd Steet. Why? Any producer willing to run a show with a cast of 50+ in this era, is not going to try and scrimp on the orchestra. Probably 26-28 players (I don't think any show has more than 26-28 in the pit). Wicked is probably also up there (the Gershwin is the largest house on Broadway, so they probably have the largest minimum with local 802).

[Cyndy]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 12:09am

Wonderful Town has 24 players...10 of them strings!

Updated On: 8/3/04 at 12:09 AM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 1:20am

My guess is that shows that have that full orchestral sound in the background when you listen to the CD are the ones that have the biggest orchestras (unlike Urinetown)...for example:

Beauty and the Beast
Phantom of the Opera
La Boheme
Oklahoma!

[magruder]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 1:54am

Wicked, 42nd Street and Beauty and the Beast all have 24 piece orchestras. I think Phantom is probably the winner here, as I think they have a 26 or 28 piece orchestra. The Gypsy revival was 23 pieces in the theatre.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 5:36am

Millie--
You cannot base anything on what you hear on a CD. Very often, extra players (who never play in the pit for the show) are hired to fill out the sound just for the cast album.

[Plum]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 9:16am

Just look at the original Assassins recording, in which the orchestra was magically expanded from 3 to 20+ pieces.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 9:22am

CAROLINE, OR CHANGE actually doesn't have a very large orchestra. It's barely medium size. It has I believe somewhere around 10 people in the pit. And LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS has 10 or 11 musicians. I don't think any musical has less than that right now.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 9:29am

I think RENT has one of the smallest- there's only 4 or 5 people in the orchestra (it's actually a band).

PRODUCERS does have a big orchestra- it was nice to see that, because the music was really nice.

[mominator]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:08am

The orchestra for "Wonderful Town" is well ahh ... in a word wonderful, large and right on stage where they belong.

[chauvelin128]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:16am

Dracula has six people in the pit. Three keyboards, a woodwind, a cello, and percussion.

[Plum]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:18am

I hope the revival of A Little Night Music has a nice big orchestra- that score needs all those strings to really sound glorious.

[hawkeyemania]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:19am

As far as strings go, doesn't wicked put their strings in a whole seperate room?? I thought i saw that somewhere, and then they have a camera on the conductor piped into a monitor in the room

[Plum]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:21am

I understand the need to do stuff like that, I guess, because of staging and the arrangement of some Broadway houses, but geez. As a classical violist, that horrifies me.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:50am

WHAT?!?! DRACULA only has six musicians in the pit?! Shame on Wildhorn.

[chauvelin128]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 10:56am

I don't think he's happy about it, Morosco. Any Wildhorn score is clearly written to be played by a huge orchestra...

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 3:15pm

I have a question. I thought the minimum number of people in an orchestra was around 20. How could some shows only have 4 people?